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Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) pulls on the jersey of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) for a pass interference penalty in the first quarter of the NFL Week 4 Monday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sean Payton Breaks Down What’s Behind Riley Moss’ Penalties

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Chad Jensen | Last updated Nov 24, 2025 7:13 PM ET

In the Denver Broncos' first team meeting post-bye, head coach Sean Payton emphasized two things to clean up: penalties and plus/minus turnover differential. Penalties have been a lingering problem throughout this season, and as the Broncos emerge from the bye, they still have the most fouls of any NFL team.

One of Denver's primary culprits in the yellow laundry epidemic has been cornerback Riley Moss. Entering Week 12, Moss led the NFL in penalties, but has since been surpassed by Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor.

On Monday, Payton held a conference call and addressed Moss' penalty issue, which is complicated by the fact that many of them have been ticky-tack or of the phantom variety, and that he's played opposite Patrick Surtain II for most of the season.

“With Riley, sometimes it’s technique, sometimes it’s the traffic opposite of a real good corner. Now Pat hasn’t been healthy, but there are some things that I’m sure he’ll want to clean up," Payton said. "Then there are a few calls where we look at, and it’s tough to try to clean up or correct something if you don’t agree with it."

Penalties: A Team Problem

Even though Moss has an inordinate number of penalties, the onus for improving this area doesn't fall on him alone. The Broncos, as a team, have been consistent violators.

"But overall, the penalty thing is not just one player, though," Payton said. "The penalty thing is by far when you look at the totality of it, and you do your homework on it, and you look offensively and defensively, that’s something that we as a collective have to get better at.”

Payton's concern is that the penalty chickens will eventually come home to roost and cost the Broncos in a close game. And he's not wrong to fear it, which makes it all the stranger why it hasn't been a bigger coaching point of emphasis before now.

Take last week vs. the Chiefs, for example. Both teams had 10 penalties, but Moss' trio of fouls led to a pair of Chiefs' scoring drives and a pick-six that was wiped off the board.

The Broncos are lucky they were able to survive those penalties, and that's only spotlighting three of the 10. It's something Payton and his coaching staff have to get to the bottom of as soon as possible. Discipline is one of the hallmarks of a playoff contender.

Moss is an excellent young cornerback, but his inability to avoid penalties has greatly diminished his impact on defense. If the Broncos were able to course-correct a similar plight suffered by left tackle Garett Bolles once upon a time, there's hope yet for Moss.

Two Things Stand Out

"There are two things that stand out. The penalties stand out," Payton said. "If you said, ‘What’s the low-hanging fruit that you have to clean up to improve your chances of getting the best possible seed?’ Then secondly is harping on the plus-minus turnover [margin], giveaway-takeaway. We ended up [plus-] one last week, and that meant a lot. We were close to being up two, but in important games, that one possession can be the difference. So that was two of the main topics this morning before we broke up.”

Turnover Differential

The Broncos would have had two takeaways vs. the Chiefs, including the aforementioned Jahdae Barron pick-six, were it not for the penalties, so Payton's "low-hanging fruit" are related. The Broncos are minus-3 in the turnover differential, which ranks 19th in the NFL.

Considering that the Broncos are 9-2, that's conspicuous. They've given the ball away three times more than they've taken it away, hence the minus-3.

Now, if safety Talanoa Hufanga even came away with half the number of dropped interceptions that have hit him in the hands, the Broncos would be in the plus territory in the turnover differential. In all seriousness, though, the Broncos have had many opportunities for takeaways, but the players either haven't been able to capitalize, or the ball simply hasn't bounced their way.

We'll see if the Broncos show any progress in either area on Sunday night when they travel to take on the Washington Commanders.